


Sunflower

by WritesyRaven



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:36:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3362939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritesyRaven/pseuds/WritesyRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tobio has been a vampire for as long as he can remember. In his dark candle-lit cavern of a room under the castle, he paints pictures of things and places his tutor tells him about. Shouyou is the son of the village gardener that happens to see some of Tobio's paintings and falls deeply in love with them, enough to go look for the painter.</p><p>Vampire Prince Tobio and Gardener Shouyou based from my tumblr au</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reach Out for a Change

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I'm not comfortable with calling some of the characters by their first names, I'll have to for the setting, family ties, etc.
> 
> Oh and [this](http://artsywritesytime.tumblr.com/post/107318655968/just-a-kagehina-au-that-crossed-my-mind-i) is the tumblr post that started this:

It is easy to forget how long you have lived when you’re apparently immortal and not allowed anywhere near the sun. My tutor, a man called Suga, had once told me that people used to use the sun to tell when a day began or ended, that is, before clocks were invented. Of course, my tutor also told me that I could never see the sun past the faded paintings that hang lifelessly on my wall because I was in fact, a vampire.  He came over several times a week to educate me there’s that, but more often than not, he ends up telling me of his life, his family, his friends and his hometown.

I’d close my eyes and he’d tell me all about them. I’d also paint what I see in my mind from time to time. Suga praised my paintings. He told me I had talent. I didn’t understand. The paintings were great but I’d prefer seeing his town with my own eyes. Saying that aloud, I made him uncomfortable. Suga was a great friend and tutor but he, as much as I, knew to what extent he could comfort me.

One day, we had a long discussion of the problem his town had with the growing population of crows that had migrated into their little commune. I painted under the dim lighting of several candles as he spoke and retold his neighbor’s experience with a family of crows moving into his chimney. It was like many a day he had come over but today as he had just recently done for every visit, he had asked for a painting to bring home. I was compliant with his requests after all,my paintings did nothing but sit around and gather dust.

With a smile on his face, Suga left my darkened room and me with my chalice filled with what I assume is pig blood. I hated the taste of pig blood the most and had an unnaturally sour mood so I didn’t finish my glass and instead decide to use what was left in my chalice to decorate my wall. 

The last thing I heard before I withdrew into the bedroom was the loud clang of my chalice hitting that wall followed by weaker clangs as it tumbled down the floor. I slammed the door and leaped face first into my bed, feeling angry for no particular reason. I felt like something was missing but since I’ve never had much of anything, I can’t tell what it is. Eventually, I fell to sleep.

I was awoken by a rattling on my door like someone was trying to break in. I was up and alert it was the first time this has happened. My part of the castle was disguised as a dead end. People can only get in if they knew how and where. I can’t get out though, my room was heavily guarded. My brother wouldn’t want anyone to know about me.

I walked out of my bedroom and approached the metal door that led to the corridor that went on for a whole minute before you made in to the entrance disguised as a stone wall. The door was still and yet the rattling continued. I walked around the room, accidentally kicking my overturned chalices in the process. I lit up a gas lamp on a table nearby and listened as the rattling grew louder.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my finished canvases rattle from where they leaned. I rushed towards them and began to throw them behind me with a strange bite of adrenaline in my mind. I uncovered a dusty tapestry patterned with a family of four royals that I never observed up close. A weak draft came from behind it urging it to sway in a lazy manner. I proceeded to lift up the tapestry that covered the wall from the ceiling to the floor. I trailed my hands on the rocks, feeling for an edge that  could open what could be a secret passageway.

After a while, my left arm began to get tired of holding up the tapestry and with no luck, I was about to give up until the rattling began once again. I knelt down to the sound. The sound came from a narrow crevasse. _Clink. Thunk. Clink. Thunk. Grunt._

There was a person on the other side.

“Hello, is anyone there?”, I ask uncertainly to an unfamiliar crevasse.

The rattling stops once again and a muffled voice answers back, “Y-yes. I am a big fan of your paintings.”

“Huh? My paintings?”

“Uh, I’m Shouyou, Suga’s neighbor. He shows me your paintings.”

Well, that answers that. “How did you get here?”

He paused. “I’ll tell you if you help me.”

I wordlessly complied, taking a letter opener from a nearby tabletop and began to stab on the material that held the stones together. After moments of rhythmic hacking, we had gotten most of the plaster lose. It didn’t take too long before the stones started to bump each other because of spaces made by the absence of the plaster. I took out the loose stones one by one until there was a considerably human sized hole.

"Uh, so what know?" I ask.

"Get back a little."

From the hole popped out a head of bright orange hair that intensified in the candlelight. With a series of grunts, Shouyou wiggled further into the room. I found myself wanting to laugh as he crawled face front out of the hole but I kept it in best I could. All was well until he flipped over and I saw his mud streaked face. I laugh so hard my candle almost went out. 

He stared at me blankly and waited for my laugh to die out. “What?”

“N-nothing.”

He pouted, obviously not convinced. “Whatever. Help me up.”

I did.

He wiped his face off the dusty tapestry. That was a bad idea. The mud gathered the dust and his face became a greyish brown.

“Thanks, uh–”

“Tobio. It’s Tobio. Didn’t Suga tell you?”

“He might have…”

I decided to drop it. “So, how did you get here?”, I said as I began to pace towards the small shaft mechanism they sent my chalices down. I felt weak after skipping a meal and helping make the hole. I grabbed the chalice and sniffed the liquid, rabbit blood. Light, rejuvenating rabbit blood.

“I apologize. I can’t offer you a drink or a meal but you should take a seat.”

I downed the blood with restraint. I only get three chalices a day which used to be more than enough when I was younger but now, it often felt sparse.

Shouyou took a seat on the floor by the chaotic mess of overthrown canvases. He picked them up and studied them. “What a waste. These are really great paintings.”

I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. What’s so good about them? I asked myself but didn’t bother asking him. “Aren’t you gonna tell me how you got here?”

“Eh. Uh yeah, okay!”

I took a seat and he began to retell his journey. Shouyou had followed Suga two weeks ago to this very castle but he was not able to get into the castle as he had planned the first time. The second time, he had cleverly disguised himself as a servant boy and managed to get in, only to lose sight of Suga. He retold more of his unsuccessful attempts in meeting me. After all that time, it occurred to him that if he could find no way to get in through the castle he would have to go through somewhere else.

“My grandfather was one of the many builders who had this castle built. I remembered, he had sketches of it from when it was just made. This part of the castle is fairly new and so I thought I’d dig around it and look for a good place to get in through.” Right then, he had began picking out fairly travel-friendly paintings from the pile and was setting them aside.

I chose to ignore what he was doing and thus proceeded to ask, “How were you so sure that I was here?”

“I wasn’t.” he says flatly.

“What if I wasn’t here and you got caught trespassing?”

“But you ARE here and I wasn’t.” he looked straight at me then back at a painting of an antelope painted in colours that were not its own. “I’m not very good at making careful decisions and I’m always told that one day, I’ll take a careless step into a ditch and fall to my death but I do what my head says I should do anyway and move forward, because otherwise nothing will change and I’ll just be back were I started and I can’t have that.”

As I started into my empty chalice, his words echoed through the hollow of my mind. — _otherwise nothing will change._

“C-can I come with you?”

“Hmmm…” Shouyou had taken the tapestry, secured my paintings into a torso-sized bundle and held it by his chest. He looked at me and smiled widely. “Sure, why not.”

I knew exactly why not but it didn’t matter anymore.

I knew that I wanted something and that something was change.


	2. Princely Sensitivities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Shouyou's P.O.V.))

Tobio insisted that we leave after the sun goes down. We spent a good few minutes arguing about it. The darkness would make it hard to navigate the path to the village but Tobio says it would make sneaking out of the castle easier. I don’t like travel at night because my town had its share of local myths and as much I refused to admit it, they freaked me out.

"We'll leave at sundown.", he declares before he began walking away into another room.

"Fine."

I flumped onto his sofa and proceeded to stare at the ornate chandelier that hung from the ceiling.  In my hand, I tighly grasped the dusty make-shift sack I put some paintings in. Tobio didn’t seem to mind. Natsu would love to hang these in her room. I began to tear up a little at the memory of my little sister.

 _No. I mustn’t._ I rub my eyes with my dusty sleeve and for a completely different reason I begin to cry.

“Oi. Are you ready?” Tobio asks, his wrapped medium-sized canvas under his right arm and a deerskin satchel slung across his chest.

The sparse light that seeped through the little hole I dug slowly faded into the shadows.

It was almost sundown.

" Y-yea, I’m good.” I get up.

Tobio proceeds to grab something from his satchel and hands it to me with a nod. “ A spare cloak. Isn’t it supposed to be cold at night?”

I take it with two hands and can’t help but grin. “Heh. Yea, it is. Thanks.”

 _Ehh… so he can be nice too_ , I thought to myself before  I put the cloak away in my sack and walked to our escape route. “I’ll go first.”

He nods.

I push the former tapestry in first before going in headfirst after it and positioning myself to make crawling easier and I begin to drag myself up the slightly inclined slope of the burrow. The moonlight glowed brighter as I got closer to the end of the tunnel. Eventually, I made it to the exit and hauled myself up gasping for the fresh night breeze. Behind me was muffled grunting getting louder and less echoed by the second.

Propping myself up onto the castle wall, I stare up to the midsummer moon and whistle a little tune believed to ward off bad luck. Tobio had just reached the exit as I whistled the last note.

“Took you long enough.” I get up and put on the cloak I kept in the tapestry sack.

“Sorry. I was—“ he stopped, his eyes glued to the luminous orb in the sky. The moon was white but reflected in his eyes was a bloody red moon. “It’s beautiful. Is this the moon?”

I snapped out of it. “Uh, yea! You’ve never seen it before?”

“No but I’ve seen sketches of it. It’s so… beautiful.”

Under the light of the moon, Tobio’s face shone in an unnatural pale white. The candlelight had done wonders for his complexion. “We should go.”

He looks me right in the eyes. “ Yes. Of course.”

Silently, we trudge on through the clearing behind the castle. I led us to the hole in the castle’s defences. It was a depression in the castle wall previously covered by wild shrubbery. “We just go right through here and the road should be straight ahead.” Once again, I received a wordless nod in reply.

I had one foot through the hole when we heard a voice call our attention.

“Tsukki, look! Is that?”

“It can’t be…”

Two royal guards stood a few feet away looking our direction. I make eye contact with the taller guard and immediately regret doing so. But it was a fleeting intimidation because the next thing I knew I was pushed through the hole. My foot that was already in the hole kept me from falling facefirst into the ground but it still hurt. I didn’t even have enough time to recover from stumbling because my arm was grabbed by Tobio before he sprinted blindly ahead, dragging me along.

“Oi, Tobio!! I think we’re going the wrong way.”

\---------

Gasping for air, I sat down on the ground. We had gone blindly into the woods. “You know… We’re lost now.”

I looked at a disgruntled Tobio sitting on a rock who unlike me, breathed slowly, his head hanging low. “He’ll know. They’ll tell him. He’ll find me.”

“Who will?”

“Tohru.”

“The king?”

“Yes, my brother, King Tohru.”

“Wait. Your brother?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Wait… then that means that you’re the prince?” I thought to laugh but he sounded serious. _No way._

“Who did you think I was?” He raised his head and turned to look at me.

“I just thought you were an eccentric painter who just happens to live in a dark cavernous room in a hidden part of the castle.” I seriously did. I mean could you blame me. What kind of prince stays in a dark cavernous room in a hidden part of the castle.

He gave me a dumbfounded look and began to smile. “Unbelievable.” He stood up his face contorting into a serious determined look. “It seems like we can’t go to the village anymore. If my brother finds me, he’ll definitely put me somewhere I’ll never get out.”

“So, where should we go then?”

“I want to go to the witch. She lives in these woods, doesn’t she?”

“A witch? Why?”

He turned away from me. “Let’s just say I need help.”

The tone he used told me that I shouldn’t ask for more details.

“Lead the way, your higness.”

I was immediately thrown a glare. “Don’t call me that.”

 


	3. The Good Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yachi will be called Hitoka as it is more befitting.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry about the possibly lengthy conversations.

Suga had once mentioned the witch that was known to live in these particular woods we were walking through. She was rumored to be acquainted with the royal family and was said to be called upon in times of dire need. It certainly felt dire when for several hours my companion and I had gotten nowhere but more lost and even more so, when we began to hear howling and rusting in the shadows.

The woods as I have been told is not safe at anytime of the day but especially at night. It came to me as a surprise that we haven't been attacked by wolves or a bear yet. Not that, I would like for that to happen.

"My legs hurt." my companion whined from behind me.

I turned to face him. Indeed, he looked exhausted. "Should we rest?"

He began to nod lazily before we both heard a twig snap. Quickly, we look to the direction from which the sound came from. There was a girl about Shouyou's height.

"Eep!" the girl exclaimed.

"Who's there?" Shouyou asked nervously.

"A-Ah. I am a mere wayward dryad who means no harm." 

"Woah! Seriously, I've never seen a dryad before. I wish we had a light." Shouyou unconciously inched forward to the dryad.

"A light in the woods will just attract unwanted attention, you fool." I replied grabbing him by the shoulder to keep him from further intimidating Hitoka.

"Of course, I know that but still..." 

"May I just go now?" Hitoka asked.

"Ah yea, of course." 

"Then I shall be on my way. Take care, dear travelers." She began to walk past us.

Suddenly, I thought of an idea. "Lady Hitoka! Wait!" I reach out to grab her bark-like arm.

She turns, a flabbergasted look on her face."Y-yes, sir prince!" she exclaimed much to both my and Shouyou's surprise.

In another situation,I would've asked, but right now, the important thing was to get directions from this dryad. "Could we ask for directions to the witch of these woods? We seem to have gotten very badly lost."

Her previously panicked face melted into a curious one. "Do you mean Mistress Kiyoko?"

"What is it?" A bright blue light had appeared magically above our heads where there hovered an attractive woman riding on a broom.

"Mistress Kiyoko!"

"I was wondering what took you so long to get back."

"It's the witch!" Shouyou exclaimed.

She suddenly turned  to face us as if suddenly noticing our presence. She gave us a subtle and contemplative glance which lasted more than a glance should have.

As unsettled as I was, I mustered the words to ask, "Miss witch, could we perhaps ask for your guidance on our quest.” 

"Oh, isn't this Prince Tobio.” she declared followed by a pause as if contemplating her choice of words. I suppose in the end, she couldn’t find the right words. “Let’s go to my cottage and get you all some dinner."

 

\-------

 

We followed her to a brick cottage in the middle of an attractive moonlit garden. Passing by, I could identify a few of the plants that resembled the drawings in my books on botany. I couldn’t name many of the though. I wasn’t any good at things like that unlike my brother. Shouyou on the other hand, was emerged in a lively conversation with Hitoka about the plants, practically bouncing at every confirmation Hitoka gave when he named a plant right. 

The inside of the cottage looked quite plain and it’s not that I’ve been in one,    but I am pretty sure that this was not at all like how a witch’s house was supposed to look. There was a warm, neat and elegant feel to everything. A nice crackling fireplace that lit up the room with the help of several hovering orbs of light. Books, possibly magic books, were neatly shelved into wooden bookshelves fitted into the wall. Separately, there were larger shelves for what seemed to be different kinds of ingredients hovering frozen in time. All in all, it gave me peace that I was not familiar with.

All three of us sat around Kiyoko's dining table as she quietly served us aromatic dollops of a creamy stew. The flowers that grew on Hitoka bloomed as an ecstatic expression grew (no pun intended) on her face. Similarly although not quite, Shouyou showed a similar reaction on his. I never had any stew or anything warm in general so I didn’t know what to expect. I feared that I would be unable to consume it but my doubts were quickly erased when Kiyoko’s consoling voice assured me that this was stew suitable for everyone and anyone.

When we had all been served, she sat at the empty chair between me and Hitoka and asked us all to dig in. I didn’t know what to expect from the mystery stew but it wasn’t that it would be an unscalding warm temperature and had every taste I’ve ever known and more. That night, I had the best meal I could ever have as the monster I was.

Shouyou was out cold on Hitoka’s couch. He must’ve been really tired. The three of us decide to go to the garden to talk. The two were apparently aware of my situation but I decide to ask anyway. “Do you know why I’m here?” 

Kiyoko looked at me with concerned eyes before nodding.” Yes, I do."

“C-can you fix me?” I asked almost hysterically.

“If I could, I would’ve cured you the first time we met, dear prince."

“Oh. So, it was hopeless after all."

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Hitoka chimed in, matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean?” I asked her before quickly turning to Kiyoko."I thought you couldn’t fix me."

“Indeed, I can’t.” Kiyoko confirms.

“But it doesn’t have to be Mistress Kiyoko who cures you, sir prince."

I paused to think. I faced Hitoka and grab her by both shoulders. “I am in your hands.” She made a sound that might’ve been what a scared animal sounded like.

Kiyoko laughed and put her hand on my shoulder. “Please let go of Hitoka, Prince Tobio."

I did. “So, it’s not her."

“No. It’s Shouyou."

“Huh?"

“Listen, Tobio. In five days, there will be a blood red moon. By then, you will have to get to the Purifying Springs by then. You have to bleed into the springs until it becomes the same shade as the blood red moon."

I stared at her for a good whole minute as she waited for me to ask the questions. “That’s not all there is, is there?"

“Not really. It will be difficult to even find the springs and certain precautions have to be taken. I’ll write them down from you but as for the navigation… you will have to leave that to Shouyou."

“Why?"

“Because you won’t be able to touch the compass."

I didn’t like the idea of relying on a stranger I had just met a couple of hours ago but it seemed like the only way. “Oh, okay. How about my sun problem? I don’t think I can convince Shouyou to only travel at night."

“I can temporarily enchant your cloak to protect you from it."

“Only temporarily?"

“Magic is a little selfish with it’s time limits. The enchantment won’t last much longer than five days. It should be good enough though. Let’s go back inside."

As soon as we had gotten back inside, Kiyoko and Hitoka began to gather ingredients and books onto the dining table. “Everything should be ready before dawn. For now, you should rest."

“I don’t necessarily need rest."

“Well then busy yourself with something."

“Why are you doing all this for me?"

Kiyoko stopped in her movements. “Let’s just say I’m trying to make up for something.” After saying that, she quickly resumed her work again. I decided not to dig any deeper into her answer.

 

_Maybe, I’ll paint something._


	4. Misguided Protection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This is actually shorter than I thought I had written it.))
> 
> Chapter 4 (actually 3.5) is a (very) slightly Iwaoi flashback chapter told from King Tooru's P.O.V.  
> I apologize for the use of Iwa-chan as Tooru's nickname for Hajime. I didn't seem fitting but I simply can't imagine Tooru calling him any other way,

It marked the end of the inter-kingdom war, when my father remarried the princess of the opposing kingdom, thus assuring peace between the kingdoms for many years. I was only 8 then and I was extremely psyched to learn that I had a new brother. I knew from the moment I saw him that I wanted to protect him and be the best most admirable brother I could ever be.  
"Come on, Tobio! You can do it, baby brother." I beckoned to my younger brother as he tottered towards me a few feet away. He was learning to walk in the royal gardens. We were never apart him and me.  
I noticed that we were being watched. Tobio wasn't bothered by it but I could feel his eyes on my back. I didn't think to tell my parents. I was young and curious. I thought that by catching the stranger myself, I'd have the achievement all to myself.  
The whole endeavor was like a game of hide and seek. Tobio's guardian was a hider of my caliber. He left footprints, rustled leaves and dropped his belongings. Sadly, that meant an equally terrible seeker. Most of times, I fell flat on my face tripping over my cape and sometimes my brother. By then, all I could do was watch his retreating silhouette get farther and farther.  
He knew I wanted to catch him and he apparently didn't like that. So I tried a different approach.  
"Who are you and why are you doing this?" I asked back turned to the topiary I knew he was behind. In my arms was my brother carelessly waving at a butterfly.  
An uneasy rustling of leaves responded. For a while, there is only silence. Then, he steps out of the shrubbery with the stupidest face I have ever seen. He had determined eyes, furrowed brows, a pout and mud on his face which all together, made him look like a stubborn peasant kid. I don't think I've ever laughed as much as I did then.  
He grabbed me by the collar and threated to beat me up.  
"You can't do that! I am the prince."  
"Watch me!"  
I closed my eyes as his fist closed in on me. The impact never came. Tobio began to wail and I felt the grip on my collar loosen and leave. I slowly opened my eyes to see the boy who just moments ago was about to punch me in the face carrying my brother hushing him and swaying him. Slowly, Tobio stopped crying. He fell asleep probrably exhausted from his outburst.  
The boy walked over to me handing the now asleep Tobio into my arms.  
"I have to go" he says rustling Tobio's hair before turning to go.  
"Wait!" I said as quietly as I could in my moment of panic. The boy stops. "At least give me your name."  
"Hajime Iwaizumi."  
"I - I'm Tohru!"  
This time he turned to look at me and an annoyed look on his face. "I already know something like that!" He turned away and ran.  
Hajime Iwaizumi. Iwa-chan.  
Several times, he came to play with me and Tobio, no longer hiding. For a good two years, he came almost daily.  
On his last visit, he told me with a hardened look on his face. "I won't be coming back after today. My family and I, we're moving to a different kingdom."  
"No way! It's your birthday tomorrow. I thought we were gonna celebrate with cake in the garden pagoda."  
Tobio was already 5 then. "Hajime is going away?” he asked with a sad look in his eyes. Tobio strangely stopped crying loudly and instead opted for staring sadly into your eyes. I’ve got to hand it to him, it worked better than his crying. “I don’t want that…” Tobio tightly latched himself to Iwa-chan.  
He smiled sadly and ruffled Tobio’s hair. I felt a pang of jealousy. Unlike Tobio, I had to act accordingly. “Why so sudden?” I ask.  
“Prince Tooru! Prince Tobio! The afternoon tea and snacks are ready. Please come inside.” a maid called onto us, Iwa-chan obstructed from her view.  
“Snacks!” Tobio exclaimed enthusiastically.  
“You go get some for us too, Tobio."  
“Yup. Okay.” Tobio ran into the castle. For a while, we silently watched him run clumsily throughout he garden.  
Suddenly, Iwa-chan put his hands on my shoulders. With urgency, he whispered to me the revelation that changed everything. “What are you talking about, Iwa-chan? That’s not funny!"  
“It’s not supposed to be.” he stood and dusted off his shorts. “Starting from tomorrow, I begin will begin to phase into a beast. My parents will train me away from civilisation so I will hurt no one.”  
“Isn’t there another way?"  
“If there was one, I hope that Tobio find it. He’ll have it much worse than me. Keep Tobio safe."  
“But…"  
“Promise me that!”  
“O-okay, fine!"  
“Good."  
I made him promise he’d return and he did. He still hasn’t but now, I’ve broke my promise.  
I never questioned how Iwa-chan got into the castle. Back then, I didn't think it mattered. As I stared into the hole where Tobio left, I felt anger well up within me. For so long, I kept Tobio safe. I won’t let it end this way.  
“Search the whole kingdom. He must be found."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will put up the actual 4th chapter in a while and not in a week like I have been doing for the past few chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't decide on a title for this chapter but it's mostly foreshadowing on Shouyou's part.

(Tobio's P.O.V.)  
I had drifted to sleep on the dining table. My canvas placed on my right, a random montage of colors on its surface. I had no recollection of what exactly I tried to paint. It seemed like I was asleep long enough for the paint to dry so I placed the canvas and the materials back into my satchel.  
Fractals of dawn seeped throught the windows. It was nearly morning. I felt a seemingly instinctive feeling of fear grow from within me.  
Breaking me from the trance, the smell of last night's stew filled my mind as I drew a shallow breath.  
"You've awoken. Take this." Kiyoko said, handing me a scarlet cloak. " The sun will be up in a few. Eat quickly and join Shouyou outside. Time is of the essense for your journey."  
I ate the stew heartily and procedeed to securely put on the cloak before stepping outside. For the first time, I saw the brilliant sun I was never supposed to see. I began to wonder if I could just continue living as I am with this cloak enchantment and as if reading my mind, Kiyoko said "The cloak enchantment will only work once for you."  
" Ah! Tobio, good morning." Shouyou said while pointing at the light peeking from behind the canopy of the trees. "Isn't it amazing?"  
I nodded in agreement.  
The sky was a beautiful mixture of colors that filled me with peace and wonder. I could only gape at the presence of thing I should most fear. I read a book on how humans couldn't help wanting the thing they couldn't have. Somehow they felt drawn to things that they would have more difficulty in acquiring. Perhaps, I was more human than I thought because all I wanted right then more than anything was to stay under my first sunrise.  
(Shouyou's P.O.V.)  
Tobio had on the most dumbstruck expression I have ever seen as he stared at the sunrise. I still couldn't believe that he had been stuck in the hidden cavern under the castle all his life and that he was the prince. I mean sure he acted princely from time to time but for the most of it he was like a newborn, only now seeing what the world had to offer. I didn't think it was my place to ask him about it. Not yet, at least.  
I continued to watched the sunset with my new friends, my hands absent-mindedly reaching into my pocket. I had quickly developed a strange habit of feeling the groove of the compass I was asked to carry with my thumb. It was an attractive bluish silver compass with a strange effervescent gloss. It looked unfamiliar and yet I felt like it was meant to be right there in my pocket, adamantly guarded by the warmth of my hand.  
The compass, as I was told, will help Tobio find his freedom. Nobody offered me more than that. I would've taken up the offer even without incentive but in this case, I couldn't have passed the opportunity to ask. It isn't very often that you meet a helpful witch.  
As Tobio dozed off, Kiyoko and Hitoka gave me instructions to follow. They gave me the same deadline as Tobio. By the time of the blood red moon, I had to have brewed the illusive the antidote to perfection. The scarlet moonlight and the spell will seal the enchantment.  
And as I looked at the awestruck prince, I felt like I had owed everything to our meeting. Me and my mother had almost given in to the lost cause that we thought Natsu had become. I could only smile.  
_In five days time, my only wish will finally come true._  
\--------  
(Tobio's P.O.V)  
"All right. You two take care now." Kiyoko said before handing me and Shouyou bags filled with a day's worth of food for each of us and some money.  
Hitoka stepped forward and gave us each a flower garland which we decided to hang around our necks. " This will help the woodland spirits and animals identify you as friends."  
After saying our farewells, we began to walk away. Slowly, the clearing disappeared behind the trees. We walked on in deafening silence save for the directions Shouyou occasionally gives. I was not one to start conversation. How could I possibly seeing as I barely ever needed to do so? Still... I didn't like the silence. Shouyou apparently felt the same way.  
"Hey. So, What were you painting last night?"  
"I don't know."  
" Oh." His disappointment at my reply was eminent in his voice. Perhaps, I should've lied to keep the conversation going. He seemed to have assume that I didn't want to talk.  
"I don't even remember painting it."  
He looked at me, clearly surprised that I bothered to explain and broke into a big smile. "What's with that? "  
"Right?" His smile was infectious. I found myself smiling as he began to lead our exchange of words, occassionally glancing at the compass. My attempt at continuing the conversation made Shouyou open up. He told me about a bunch of things in his life.  
Time passed quickly and eventually, Shouyou's stomach broke his enthusiasm.  
"We should eat." I offered. He replied with a lazy nod.  
We sat by a large oak tree. I wasn't particularly hungry but I didn't seem like Shouyou would eat if I didn't eat too. So, we ate the stew that was packed for us. The taste never got old. Maybe after my quest, I can go back to learn the recipe.  
Shouyou as he often wasn't, was quiet as he ate with a lazy smile. As we ate in silence, I began to ponder on many things, one of which was the fact that Shouyou has never once asked what we are actually heading. Did he know or was he just being considerate? Either way, I suppose neither of us had much of any right to ask each other a lot and it's not like I would like to tell him about my circumstances. I felt like pity was the last thing I needed. Perhaps, if he asked I would tell him. Perhaps...  
After eating, we proceeded to once again follow the directions of the compass. Just before dawn, we arrived at a town full of merchant stalls and the sound of people speaking loudly. I didn't like running into people as we squeezed through the crowd the town square.  
We took off Hitoka's flower garlands so we wouldn't attract too much attention. "What is this place?"  
"It's Larkinge, a town specializing in trade. I heard you can get anything here, for the price, of course. I'm gonna look around."  
"Wait. What? You're not doing that! We need to go." I protested  
"No, we don't. Let's just leave early tomorrow. It's not like we can travel at night."  
He didn't know about my night vision.  
"Fine. Let's meet here in an hour."  
"Alright."  
As I watched him walk away, a thought occurred to me. We could've looked around together though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Larkinge is just a random village name I got from a generator :P.


	6. Officially on the Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for suddenly switching to third person POV but it felt like a good way to practice and improve my writing. Still... I'm gonna miss being in everyone's heads.

Shouyou wandered off into the eastern part of the marketplace with the guide of the compass. Kiyoko told him that as long as it was in his possession, it would lead him where he wanted to go. He felt immensely bad for delaying Tobio's quest but he thought that if he could get all the ingredients in one go, it would be uphill from there.  
Glancing still at the compass, Shouyou navigated his way to a quaint little stall owned by a distracted cat-eyed merchant. The merchant was a man about Shouyou's height with semi-blonde hairwith streaks of brown yielding from his roots, preoccupied with what seemed to be an enchanted scroll. The stall itself was filled with random merchandise ranging from scrolls and books to general potion ingredients.  
"Umm...Hello?"  
The merchant looked up finally taking notice of Shouyou. He rolled up his scroll and replied. "Hello."  
It was a strange silence that proceeded afterwards. Shouyou was waiting for the merchant to ask for what he needed but it seemed that the man had not taken the hint. Giving in, Shouyou took out the parchment Kiyoko wrote the things he needed on and handed it to the merchant.  
Taking it with a nod, the merchant brings it close to read. His eyes widen at the sight of what he knew was the list of ingredients to create a cure he knew too well. He sighed and returns the list to Shouyou. "I can give you the basic ingredients but the rest are not things you'll find easily any where. Your best bet is looking for them yourself. "  
Shouyou was disappointed. He had hoped that everything would be easy but deep inside, he knew that that was very improbable. The merchant who introduced himself as Kenma, offered to help Shouyou after he closed down his stall. In a while, most stalls had finished closing up. It all happened quickly seeing as almost all merchants used the easy travel stall enchantment.  
Apparently, the town had a midsummer festival planned for the night time.  
"Shouyou, right ?" Kenma said as he lifted what used to be his stall and was now a box. "Come with me. I know someone who can help you."

 

\----------

 

After Shouyou left, Tobio went into the less lively part of the marketplace. The merchants in the area were quiet and seemed to wait for you to approach them rather than call for your attention. In each of their stalls only a couple of things were displayed. Many of which held a strange aura that gave Tobio chills. There were only a few people around who all did their business in indistinct whispers. Further into the rows of side by side stalls, he began to feel queasy as if something were draining his energy. That feeling didn't last too long.  
A loud trumpet resounded from the town square and the merchants began to pack up. Suddenly, the silence was turned into a symphony of clattering and shuffling around as people tried to clear out. Tobio, in the midst of the mild chaos, bumped into a man who he couldn't help but notice had a turnip-like hairdo as well as, gigantic stake slung across his back. The prince felt like running as fast and as far as he could away from the man and more importantly his stake but seeing as he couldn't do so he settled for freezing up in place. The man walked passed him like he wasn't even there and he was thankful. He could've sworn that that man was a vampire hunter. A chill ran down his spine at the thought of being killed before he was reborn.  
"I have to find Shouyou. I'll tell him if I have to. It's not safe here anymore." Tobio thought as he ran through the dissipating cluster of people and back to the town square.

 

\----------

 

"Shouyou, this is Kuroo. He survived the illness your sister is suffering. He might be able to help." Kenma said gesturing to a much taller black haired man with a confident grin.  
"Kenma, what are you doing bringing home strangers?"   
"He's not a stranger. He's Shouyou."   
"Well, I don't really mind but you really have to be more cautious."  
"It's fine. I'm a good judge of character."  
"Yeah, yeah. So you say."  
The exchange of the two made Shouyou feel as though he was imposing but then again that has never stopped him before.  
"So... Shouyou, was it?" the spiky haired man asked suddenly shifting his attention to Shouyou.  
"Ah, yes!"  
"Ok then, Shouyou. How far are you willing to go to save your sister?"  
"Eh?"  
"You don't have to answer that Shouyou. Kuroo's just teasing." Kenma said as he unrolled his scroll on the table and busied himself with it.  
"Even if I am teasing, you still hesitated. Perhaps this quest is too much for you." Kuroo said with a snicker.  
"No!" Shouyou exclaimed to Kuroo although he felt as though he had said it to himself. "I can do it. I have to..."  
Kuroo nodded before walking to a desk drawer and pulling it open to retrieve a dusty leather-bound notebook. "Then let's begin, shall we?"

  
\----------

  
"Tobio!" called Shouyou as he ran for Tobio sitting on a bench. Shouyou was carrying a sack on his back like a quiver. Tobio stood as he neared and quickly turning to face a startled Shouyou who stopped walking, glaring into him. Tobio stomped towards Shouyou grabbing the latter by the collar. "You errant half-wit! It's an hour the hour we were supposed to meet! I began to think you ran off on me, taking the compass and rations with you."  
Shouyou was afraid. Tobio's face looked so scary and his red eyes reflecting the moonlight or at least, that's what Shouyou thought it was, didn't help either. His eyes face filled with a strangely comical fear.”I’m sorry, Your Majesty! I just lost track of time. I won’t do it again.” he said aloud his voice cracking.  
Tobio could only sigh before letting Shouyou go.”I told you to not call me that, didn’t I? Anyway we have to get—“ His words were cut short by the sound of trumpets.  
“Royal messengers?” Shouyou asked. It was a commonly heard tune, played when the messengers came to announce something for the King. Shouyou has heard it several times throughout his life. Tobio couldn’t say that it was a familiar sound but he knew enough about the situation to know that the announcement would be about his capture.  
“We have to go.” Hastily, Tobio grabs Shouyou’s wrist.  
“Eh? Aren’t we supposed to listen to the announcement?"  
“It’s probably about my escape, right? I don’t really feel like getting caught on the first day."  
Shouyou could only think about how much more running they’ll both have to do in the coming days as Tobio once again ran with him in tow to who knows where.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been more than a month since my last update. I've been in a rut since school ended and I also got sidetracked with the story. So anyway, I think I might go back to regularly updating again. Let's just see.

     Shouyou panted, his heart doing an energetic tap dance in his chest. Tobio had dragged him to a barn by the edge of town before collapsing on the hay, clearly out of breath. "What was that about, Tobio? You can't keep doing this." Shouyou said as he wiped his sweat away. He waited for Tobio to reply but Tobio remained lifeless. He slowly approached Tobio and flipped him to lay on his back. Tobio was unnaturally cold and didn't seem to be breathing.

     Shouyou went into panic mode. "No way..." He began shaking Tobio violently. "Wake up, you jerk! I can't do this quest on my own." He didn't realize that he began cry.

     "Oi! Shouyou! Stop shaking me!" 

     Shouyou opened his eyes to an angry and  confused Tobio. Immediately his panic went away replaced by a wave of relief. He embraced Tobio. "I thought you died on me..."

     Tobio felt his face get warm as his hands awkwardly hovered over Shouyou's back. "I just got a little anemic. Running must've drained my energy. I'm really not used to running." Shouyou realizing that he in the spur of the moment hugged Tobio quickly jumped away and pretended that nothing happened. Tobio felt his thirst grow and his predatory instinct slowly wake up as Shouyou began walking back beside him to open his backpack. He felt his fangs anticipate digging themselves into its prey for the first time. His vision clouded and he began to lose himself.

     "Here. Drink this." Shouyou said handing him his flask.

     Tobio's conciousness snapped back and he took the flask. It was vixen blood. Kiyoko thought of everything. He knew it was only a meal's worth of blood but he was thankful. He felt his energy return to him as he chugged down the whole flask.

     "Wow. You're really thirsty, huh."

     “Uh… yeah."

     Tobio was satiated by the contents of the flask but looking at the smiling Shouyou made him feel extremely guilty for almost drinking his blood.     He was debating over telling Shouyou the truth. Unbeknownst to him, he was staring a Shouyou making the latter uneasy.

     "Tobio... are you okay?"

     "Huh... yea. Why wouldn't I be?"

     "Well, if you say so."

     There was a silence between the two, each keeping from the other a big secret they wanted to tell each other but feared the consequences.

     "We should get going. It isn't safe to stay around in this town any longer. They already alerted the town about me. I bet every town nearby has been alerted too." If anything good had come out of the royal messengers' arrival, it would be that Tobio didn't need to tell Shouyou the real reason he was afraid of staying around any longer. "Some horses wouldn't be such a bad idea. "

     "We should also probably get some lunch."

\-------

     "It's no use. Most of the shops are closed and the festival is being set up. No one is selling any horses or rations.” Shouyou said disheartedly as they walked past the busy crowds of people. “ I can’t take it anymore.” he exclaimed and as thought to emphasize his point his stomach grumbled a low growl.

     “It can’t be helped. To think that we’d be here on the day of the festival. For now, we should get you lunch. Look, there’s a tavern right there."

     Tobio and Shouyou stepped into the pub immediately regretting their decision. Their pub was filled with chattering royal messengers and a couple of knights having their lunchtime meal. But much more than the men his brother sent to find him, Tobio feared the man with a large stake strapped across his back sitting into far corner of the room. The two of them stood at the entrance of the pub for a good long minute before the server took notice of them and welcomed them in. 

     “What’ll you two travellers be having?” the built black haired server asked them with a warm smile. After they ordered, the two of them got seated, their hoods still over their heads. They heard a bell jingle indicating someone just walked in.

     “Daichi, the usual please.” said a familiar voice. Shouyou and Tobio made eye contact at their sudden realization. “Suga..?” They said in unison turning to the direction of the voice. Sure, enough it was Sugawara, Tobio’s tutor and partially the reason he had met his jumpy travelling companion. 

     “What is he doing here?” Shouyou asked.

     “He’s probably relieved from his tutoring duties until I’m found. He’s friends with the bartender too. Anyway, we shouldn’t let him see us.” 

     The two kept a low profile and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Much to their dismay, Suga had decised to help out his friend. He was heading over with their orders. Panicking, the two try to avoid eye contact by looking elsewhere but in every direction was a threat so in the end they had nowhere to look but at the tabletop.

     "Pork Liver Stew and Beef steak for table 8." Suga said putting down the wooden tray on the table. As he did so he caught a glance of a familiar painting peeking out from Shouyou's sack. The red stain at the side of the canvas was one he had made himself and despite first impressions, it wasn't actually paint.

     The two customers didn't move or speak further confirming his suspicions. He proceeded to place the plates onto the table before purposely dropping the spoon not giving the two time to react he quickly picked it up as he took a quick peek at the faces underneath the hoods. He made sure to make quick eye contact before standing up again. "Sorry about that. Let me get you a new one."

     When Suga went to the kitchen, Shouyou and Tobio gave each other confused and panicked looks. Suga wasn't gone for long he placed the new spoon wrapped in several tissues and went away much to their surprise.

     Tobio took his spoon causing the tissue to unravel a message written in blotchy black ink.

 

      _Meet me out back after your meal._  


_-Suga_


	8. Chapter 8

 

 

After eating their meals, Shouyou & Tobio proceeded to quietly leave the tavern and go out back inconspicuously. The tavern was by the corner of the town so there weren’t many bystanders in the first place so they easily slipped by to the back of the tavern. The backyard of the tavern was a fenced garden with a pathway leading to a back door to the tavern’s kitchen beside the door Suga waved to them and beckoned for them to come in.

“Take a seat, you two.” Suga said with a smile gesturing to the chairs by a table at the corner of the room. The two reluctantly do as he says, turning their seats to face a now cross-armed Suga who had a serious scowl on his face causing both of them to flinch. Neither had seen him with this expression before and kkboth wished they never had to. “What are both of you doing here?”

“Uhh…” Shouyou and Tobio managed. Either boy felt a pang of guilt knowing that they had ulterior motives on their quest.

Detecting their reluctance to tell him anything, Suga sighed, his scowl fading slightly. He walked slowly towards the boys leaning on the kitchen counter. “Well… I’m not gonna force you to tell me but it’s pretty bold of you two to be going to a place full of you-know-whats.”

That got Shouyou and Tobio’s attention. Suga immediately noticed them tensing up at his words. “Don’t worry, I won’t give you away. In fact, I’m happy to help… or should I say, we.”

As if on cue, Daichi, the tavern’s bartender peeked in. “We’re almost done closing up the tavern for the day, Suga.” He said before going back out.

“Daichi agreed to lend you guys some help through his connections in this town so you can rely on us.” Suga said  
with a grin.

Tobio and Shouyou exchanged looks of confusion and what might have been relief. Finding another ally in unexpected circumstances such as what they were in.

                 
=================  
 

“Nice to meet both of you. I’m Daichi Sawamura.” The raven-haired bartender greeted Shouyou and Tobio before gesturing to the man beside him with down-turned eyes and a kind smile.

"Hello. I'm Chikara Ennoshita. My father owns a stable and I can get you folk a couple of horses. "

Tobio and Shouyou exchanged looks of relief and happiness. "Thank you so much." They said in unison. "How could we ever repay you?"

"Hmmm... how about you give me a couple of those paintings then?" Ennoshita said pointing to the Shouyou's sack which had a couple of paintings sticking out.

_That's strange... I'm pretty sure that the paintings fit perfectly into that sack before._ Tobio thought.  _Did he buy something at the market?_

"Well... how about it Tobio?" Suga asked, breaking Tobio's glare.

"Uh... yeah. That sounds great."

"Then I'll be taking my pick." Ennoshita said elatedly walking over to Shouyou's sack.

"Ah! Let me help you pick." Shouyou offered skipping over to Ennoshita's side.

_Really though... Is it just my own imagination?_ Tobio continued to ponder. 

"Is something bothering, his highness?" Suga whispered placing his hand on a startled Tobio’s shoulder. The prince twitched at what his former tutor had decided to call him.

"Suga-san... it's nothing really." Tobio said. "It's just. I feel like I'm imposing on everyone like this."

"Don't be like that Tobio. Just rely on us like you do Shouyou." Suga's words made both boys mentioned flinch.

"W-who would rely on that idiot?!?" Tobio exclaimed backing away towards the door.

Hearing what Tobio said, Shouyou spun around to protest."Hey! Who are you calling idiot, idiot prince?!?"  **Thud!!**  Tobio was already out the door before Shouyou even finished." Eh?"

Outside, Tobio began to walk away from the back door, befuddled and quiet. He had never considered that he had become reliant on his orange haired travel companion. Lost in thought, he was quickly grabbed from behind, mouth covered and arms restrained in a death grip. Tobio struggled but to no avail. In a quick instant, he felt something snap onto his left wrist before his perpetrator ducked behind a stack of empty crates. Tobio continued to flail in the stranger's grasp.

"Shhh. Calm down or he'll notice."

  
_Who'll notice?_ Tobio thought, a panic rising in his chest. At the corner of his eye, he saw the silhouette of a darkly clothed turnip-headed man and the intimidatingly large stake strapped across his back walking around the fence around the tavern's backyard. For a few moments, he continued to look around as he roamed the outside of the tavern constantly glancing at something in his hand. Giving up, he shook the thing in his hand, clicking his tongue before walking way in frustration.

"Phew... That was close. What were you thinking walking out in the open like that u equipped for hunter blood tracking sorcery?" The stranger said as he let Tobio go causing the prince to tumble away from him.

Quickly, Tobio turned to face him. The man was a spikey black haired male with a serious face. He was dressed in a fur lined hooded coat that reached all the way to his knees and simple commoner clothing underneath. Around his neck was a collar that was similar to what he had placed on Tobio's wrist, a leather collar with a smooth purple gem embedded into its center. "Who are you?"

"Oh... Right! Of course, you wouldn't remember me. That was a really long time ago."

"Um..."

"I'm Hajime, Hajime Iwaizumi. I've been watching over you since you left the castle. The psychological disturbance in your brother's wavelength made me come running to scope the situation. Luckily, I was in the kingdom at the time. To think that that halfwit Tohru became king and imprisoned you all those years. What's up with these royals just completely misunderstanding everything and locking everyone up? Seriously..." Hajime said looking slightly more irked than before.

"Wavelength? Misunderstanding? Wait... Did my brother send you?"

"Oh no. No, he didn't. I am completely on board with your plan to become a human, if that's what you want. It would be better if you told your friends though. That guy gets all impulsive with these kinds of things and tends to get tunnel vision and it doesn't end well anyway."

"Wait... How do you know about that?"

"It doesn't matter. All you need to know is not to take off that thing I put around your wrist. It will interfere with hunter magic like that hunter Kindaichi had."

"Right..." 

"Tobio?" Shouyou called out from the back door doorway. "Ennoshita said we should get going."

"I guess that's my cue." Hajime shrugged and began to walk away. "Let's meet again soon. Good luck. Oh and don't be so scared of putting your faith in people, okay?"

"Wait! I still haven't–" but Hajime was gone in a dash, disappearing in the forest.

"Hey!" Shouyou said poking the baffled Prince Tobio. "What're you doing over here?"

"Eh. Ah. Nothing, just getting some fresh air."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I may have gone OOC with Iwa-chan. Sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've ever posted so it might not be that good.


End file.
